Some powered systems are supplied with high voltages to perform various operations, such as computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT) systems or other systems. These types of systems may receive high voltages on the order of one hundred thousand volts or more and, in some instances, up to 140,000 volts or another amount. Control units such as gate drivers having active switches or other sensitive electronics can be used to control the supply of voltage to the powered systems.
Over time, the powered systems may begin occasionally discharging unwanted voltages into the circuit that connects the control units with the powered systems. For example, the x-ray tubes in some CT systems may occasionally become dirty and can cause a high voltage discharge to be conducted into the circuits connecting the CT systems with the gate drivers. During a spit, the x-ray tube may operate or appear as a short circuit at the output of the circuit. This leads to a high voltage difference, and the gate drives typically are not dimensioned for such a large voltage difference. This implies that even if the powered system does not operate as a high voltage generator, the energy already stored in the circuit itself may be sufficient to damage the active switches and/or gate drives.